Posts Tagged ‘Kansas’

The Wichita Business Journal is launching a new design this week. To serve as the linchpin for the remodeled publication, the editors snagged an interview with an important local businessman: Charles Koch.

Koch and his brother, David, control Koch Industries, which is estimated to have $115 billion in annual revenues. Because the business is privately held, it’s ineligible for the Fortune 500; if it qualified, it would rank 17th, according to CNN. The conglomerate is reportedly the second-largest private company in America.

More to the point, the Koch brothers have become heavy hitters in the political world. The Center for Responsive Politics reports that their company and its affiliates have given $2.6 million in the current election cycle, which ranks 11 out of all donors. Last year, the business spent $10.3 million on lobbying, making Koch Industries 31st on the overall list.

But that, to borrow the cliché, is just the tip of the iceberg. The Koch brothers helped fund the Tea Party — and so much more…